Dizziness & Fatigue/Lethargy After Diving

[DandyDon]

I should just say, that I'm in the middle of the Pacific and MD's/GP's are a bit thin on the ground and expensive. Hence my posting on the web rather than just popping to the doc's!

Yes, I've been following this thread, unable to add anything - other than to put your location in your profile, but I say that so often that I skipped it. It does help with discussions and assistance.

Why no showers? Ewww...!

I guess you gotta expect a few things to start dropping off/malfunctioning when you reach your mid-30s...

I'm 59 and I wouldn't accept any of that without taking aggressive action - of some sort. Take the advice of the several doctors above.

 

[SiC]

OK.

Been to a (non-diving) doc and he did a few things:

Looked into my eyes and ears (checking pupil reflex); checked reflexes; listened to heart and lungs. All seemed fine.

He's put me on Serc/Sudafed. I read somewhere someone questionning that, but the pharmacist backed him up.

Also I've found out that I'm about 10kgs lighter than I thought, despite eating like a horse. Hmm, interesting (any more bets on T2 diabetes?).

Anyways, I think I might be able to return to the UK in a couple of weeks and get a full batch of tests. Otherwise this thread will run forever! Could be my childhood asthma or anything. Could be something, could be nothing...

I'm impatient though - I'd hate to have to give up working in diving. It's a different plane of existence down there...

I don't reckon it's DCS, as he'd have picked something up with the eyes, so I reckon I'll be ok to fly. I'm trying to get a qualified opinion on that as we speak.

BTW Cowboy, I was avoiding the showers in case it was Carbon Monoxide!

 

[DandyDon]

Glad to hear you're making progress. Good luck. I'm hammered today from coming in yesterday from a dive trip, but that'll pass. Hope yours does, too.

 

[fisherdvm]

Quick test for t2 diabetes. Taste your urine...... Or pee into an anthill, and if they cluster around the urine, maybe you've got a problem.

Many docs have urine dipstick for glucose. It should be cheap - and that is a quick inexpensive screening test for diabetes.

Ask around, I am sure tonnes of people have a glucometer around you, they can check too.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello SiC:

Sorry to hear that things are not improving. As I suspected, diving is not the cause of your problem (other than it being exhausting when done every day).

As for the eyes and DCS, I am not certain what that meant, but I do know that some people believe that you can see gas bubbles in the blood vessels of the eyes when you have DCS. They also believe that a blood draw will indicate gas bubbles in the blood. All of this is incorrect.

If someone has an arterial gas embolism, it is possible that gas bubbles will be visible in the retinal arteries, but that sad occurrence is thankfully rare.

I hope that things will improve for you with further medical attention.

Dr Deco :doctor:

 

[SiC]

Thanks Doc.

RE the eyes, I guess it was some sort of neuro thing - the pupil dilation reflex.

Cheers, Si

 

[DandyDon]

Thanks Doc.

RE the eyes, I guess it was some sort of neuro thing - the pupil dilation reflex.

Cheers, Si

MDs routinely look in eyes. One reason I have heard for this is that it's the only place on the body where they can see blood vessels - and I suppose there are maladies that make them look different. Based on your post, I think that's all it was.

As for the eyes and DCS, I am not certain what that meant, but I do know that some people believe that you can see gas bubbles in the blood vessels of the eyes when you have DCS. They also believe that a blood draw will indicate gas bubbles in the blood. All of this is incorrect.

My TDI Decompression Instructor said he could tell if a person was bent by how many bubbles he could see immediately after pulling an eyelid down. He's really a good, tight Instructor, but I've caught him in a couple of other blunders, if you will. He was not familiar with doing a one minute stop at half depth, but - was ok with it when I insisted on doing one every time.

When Dr Deco says anything about decompression, I take it as Gospel.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello DandyDon and Readers:

”The Eyes Have It”

Possibly, I read this post too fast and thought of those horrible stories of “looking for bubbles in the eye’s blood vessels” and “venipunctures to examine the blood for gas bubbles.” Except in the most horrible – and obvious – of cases, these tactics will prove for naught.

Neurological DCS

Certainly, any assessment of the presence of neurological deficits following a dive would include the examination of the eyes and their muscles. The same would be done if a person had a possible stroke. A first year medical student would do this. These would include the ocular muscles (looking right and left, up and adown), and the papillary reflex. This would have nothing to do with visible gas bubbles; I was too hasty in assuming this at the onset. Additionally, there can be changes in the retina that indicate other disease.

Eyelids and Bubbles

The references below indicate that there were a couple of papers that did link bubbles in the tear film on the eyes. The number of these bubbles was small (two or three) and might easily be missed. Not much has been done since the publication of these two papers.

A report at an Undersea Medical Society meeting did discuss bubbles beneath a contact lens, and these were numerous.

Take It As Gospel

Thanks DandyDon for the nice comment. I did, however, miss it this time. Mea culpa

“I hope to become the person my dog thinks I am.”:blinking:

Dr Deco :doctor:


References

Mekjavic IB, Campbell DG, Jaki P, Dovsak PA. Ocular bubble formation as a method of assessing decompression stress. Undersea Hyperb Med. 1998 ;25(4):201-10.

Bennett MH, Doolette DJ, Heffernan N. Ocular tear film bubble counts after recreational compressed air diving. Undersea Hyperb Med. 2001 ;28(1):1-7.

 

[DandyDon]

Take It As Gospel

Thanks DandyDon for the nice comment. I did, however, miss it this time. Mea culpa

I didn't think you missed anything, just gave another view. The OP doesn't really know why the physician there looked in his eyes, nor did I really. Thanks for expanding on that.

But yeah, from all I have learned from your postings and a few PMs you've taken time to send me, I have learned A LOT from you - trying to remember a higher percentage of it all, and I know more than most here about your credentials and experiences - at NASA and in the sea both.

“I hope to become the person my dog thinks I am.”

Lets' not set our goals too high now....

 

[Daner]

What about starvation? 10kgs below what you thought is a lot of weight to lose. All the activity of diving would burn up alot of calories wouldn't it? I know I get tired and lathargic when I dive if I don't eat. So I eat like a horse when I am diving a lot on a weekend or vacation but I have never lost any significant weight...